The Best Mirrorless Cameras – IGN

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A DSLR camera in the right hands can allow for some incredible photos, but there’s no denying a lot of people are getting tired of lugging around a bulky camera and lens, whether on holiday or just around town. Dissatisfaction with this size of DSLRs has led to the development of mirrorless cameras, which offer all the benefits of a traditional DSLR in a much smaller package. Because they ditch the mirror inside the the chassis that’s used to reflect what’s being seen up into an optical viewfinder, they’re significantly lighter and smaller. Recent advancements have brought mirrorless models up to par with their bulkier counterparts in terms of image quality, too, so these days there’s not many trade offs for pixel peepers.

The only drawback with these tiny cameras (compared to a DSLR at least) is you’re more or less forced to invest in a battery grip or spare batteries. Whereas a typical DSLR can take over 1,000 photos on a single battery charge, even the best mirrorless cameras can only take 300 – 400 shots on a single battery. This is mostly because a DSLR has an analog, optical viewfinder that doesn’t require constant power to function the way an electronic viewfinder (EVF) does.

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The EVF gives you a real-time look at how your photo will turn out

There’s an upside though. The EVF gives you a real-time look at how your photo will turn out before you actuate the shutter. Making changes to exposure and aperture are reflected in the viewfinder almost immediately and you aren’t wasting shots (and battery life) on out of focus, or severely over/underexposed photos. Mirrorless cameras also tend to be better at high-speed shooting there’s no need for a mirror assembly to swing out of the way every time you press the shutter button.

The good news is that every major camera manufacturer has jumped into mirrorless at this point (Nikon and Panasonic both released full-frame models this year) so there are plenty of choices. Some folks will always prefer one style or brand of camera over the other, but whether you’re looking to transition from a DSLR or are starting fresh with mirrorless, I’ve picked all the best options.

Best Entry-Level Mirrorless Camera – Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

It’s hard to find fault with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 II. For the money you get a four-thirds 16 megapixel sensor, sturdy and compact magnesium alloy body in addition to five-axis onboard image stabilization. This model boasts an 8.5 frame per-second burst mode an a handful of mechanical dials for changing shooting mode and custom settings. There are plenty of controls on tap as well, so you aren’t giving up the granular adjustments found on a DSLR because you’d like a smaller camera.

Unlike some lower-priced models, this features an OLED electronic viewfinder (cheaper cameras nix the viewfinder altogether) as well as a tilting 3-inch LCD touchscreen on the back for composing in live view. You can even connect an external display via WiFi for viewing Live Composite images as you take them. The lower price also means video is capped at 1080p, but you can use the E-M10 to create 4K, 5 FPS time lapse videos. You really aren’t at a loss for affordable (or expensive) lenses here either, meaning as your skills improve, you can easily upgrade your glass collection.

Best Midrange Mirrorless Camera – Fujifilm XT-3

The Fujifilm X-T3 might be in the “best midrange” category, but it will appeal to photographers of all skill levels and budgets. Fuji took what made the XT-2 so attractive (compact design, stellar image quality, mechanical controls for every shooting function) and added a rear touchscreen, a brand new 26.2 megapixel sensor, and bumped the amount of phase-detection pixels it has from a paltry 500,000 to over 2 million, and that’s in addition to 425 standard auto-focus points.

Keeping focus of fast-moving subjects should be incredibly easy, especially with video. The XT-3 can also shoot 4K video up to 60 FPS, with 10-bit color processing too. The latter is helpful in case you over- or under-expose your footage. Simply put, if you need a camera that can shoot video and stills incredibly well, has a wide and inexpensive lens ecosystem and want all of the above in a small package, look no further than the XT-3.

Best Prosumer Mirrorless Camera – Sony a7R III

For the last few years, Sony has led the mirrorless pack and driven innovation within the space. The full-frame A7R III is the culmination of all of those advancements. It can shoot 10 frames per-second at 42.2 megapixel resolution, delivering up to 28 exposures per burst if you’re shooting uncompressed RAW. The A7R can also capture 4K HDR video footage at 24 and 30 frames per-second.

There are 399 autofocus points, and this Sony has a Quad-VGA OLED electronic viewfinder with options for 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate. Its combination of raw speed and a high megapixel sensor means that the A7R III is ridiculously versatile, regardless of whether you’re shooting sports, video, landscapes or portraits. If you need tons of megapixels and aren’t worried about copious mechanical controls, you’ll find a lot to love here. Sure the price tag is high, but there’s a reason this camera won so many awards after it was released in 2017.

Best Pro Mirrorless Camera – Nikon Z7

If you want the performance of Nikon’s D850 DSLR in a dramatically smaller body, you should check out the full-frame Z7. It’s biggest feature isn’t its sensor (although at 45.7 megapixels, it’s nothing to sneeze at), its the new Z-mount system. The wider 55mm opening (Nikon’s ancient F-mount is 44mm) allows for even wider apertures, all the way up to f/0.95. You won’t be able to shoot in the dark with that until next year when the 58mm Nikkor Noct lens is released, though. There’s only a handful of native Z-mount lenses at the moment, but you can use older F-mount if you pick up the available adapter. Even with the adapter you still get all of the Z7’s creature comforts like silent shooting and in-body vibration reduction – a lifesaver for handheld telephoto shooting.

As far as the image sensor goes, it’s capable of 8 frame per-second bursts with gobs of dynamic range. There are 493 autofocus points and the vibration reduction really comes in handy for longer exposures and telephoto shooting. It also takes 4K video at up to 30 frames per-second. If you can sacrifice a few megapixels and want to save some cash, the Z6 offers the same chassis and a lot of the same features with a 24.5 megapixel sensor.

Best High-End Mirrorless Camera – Hasselblad X1D-50c Medium Format

The Hasselblad X1D-50c is the most audacious mirrorless camera you can buy right now. Its 50 megapixel medium format sensor is 70 percent larger than the full-frame competition, and currently, it’s the smallest medium format body on the market. What it lacks in burst speed, it makes up in other ways like the ability to take a 60-minute exposure. The hand-built camera excels at portraiture, but performs well for landscape photography too thanks to all the detail its 43.8 x 32.9mm sensor can capture.

Timothy J. Seppala is a Detroit-based freelance reporter who has crammed a 5.1 surround system into every place he’s lived, regardless of bedroom size. When he’s not writing about tech, he’s usually exploring the Motor City with his camera.

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